Devotees believe this 5,000-year-old energy-cultivation system is poised to become the new kid on the block among rat-racers hungry for a more serene form of fitness.

"As China becomes more of a player in the world, Chinese practice is becoming more mainstream, just as yoga became popular when the Beatles went to India," said Matthew Cohen, creator of the "Tai Chi & Qi Gong Basics" DVD.

You might be more familiar with Qigong younger cousin, tai chi. The latter is more martial-arts focused and flowing, whereas Qigong moves from exercise to exercise in a stop-and-go way. It aims to open the meridians, which are pathways in the body along which this energy flows. Qigong moves qi through those pathways to any stagnant places in the body.

Who might benefit

Dennis Hiser and his wife, Renee Bailey, lead a Qigong class near Manitou Springs, Colo. I showed up on a recent Saturday morning with only the general notion that we'd probably move slowly and mindfully.

As it turns out, that is one of the intents of the practice. Hiser doesn't consider Qigong to be an exercise class, but to be a work in healing, mindfulness and stress management. He views the movement as a way to limber the body and use it in ways that we don't normally do every day, which leads to greater health and immunity.

Hiser is a supervisor at Goodwill Industries, overseeing 120 disabled clients. He has incorporated Qigong into their monthly activities. His passion is working with those with physical ailments and helping them to overcome the illness mindset of being defeated by their incapacitated state. He encourages them to not allow their disease or ailment to take them, but to take charge of their illness and take the healing back into their own hands. Qigong gets them moving and breathing, and can be less physically challenging than yoga or Pilates.

Qigong is not only good for illness, but for those with life struggles, he said. He's seen high-risk youths thrive in one-on-one sessions. He also notes the benefits for those with weight issues.

What's involved

We began our class with qi walking. Barefoot, we were instructed to slowly walk around the studio, feeling the entire foot roll onto the floor. Heel, arch, ball of foot, toes. As we did this mindful walking, we were to think happy thoughts.

We then learn the breath work, holding our hands, palms face up, near our low belly, and inhaling to a count of three as we lift them toward our face. Then we flipped our palms over and exhaled to a count of three, pressing the air to the ground.

A few minutes of slow walking combined with breath awareness led to a pleasing calm. Much as in yoga, the breath crucial to the movement, to energizing and oxygenating the blood and replenishing the organs, Hiser said.

There are thousands of Qigong exercises, but Hiser teaches the eight Brocade for Health. Brocade can be considered a series. We did eight exercises with varying repetitions. Hiser is careful to modulate the number of reps, taking into account the health of those he is leading. The practice is intended to build health and energy, not to push an ill body even further away from health. He praises Qigong for its ability to work with anybody.

The exercises were done standing, but can be easily modified into seated positions, he said. As the hour ticked by, we sat into a horse stance and moved our arms up and down slowly and twisted side to side, moving the qi along the body's 12 meridian lines.

In specific exercises, we worked on strengthening our lungs, spleen, stomach, kidneys, heart and brain. We learned an exercise to help release anger. It involved taking a wide, bent-kneed horse stance, elbows into sides and then punching one fist slowly out at a time, adding a personalized vocal sound to the outward movement.

The slow, spiral exercises of Qigong, such as Rolling the Ball or Wave Hands in the Cloud, require no equipment, can be done anywhere, and are easy to learn.

Balance, posture, breath control and relaxation are among the benefits of Qigong, according to Jessica Matthews, an exercise physiologist with the American Council on Exercise.

She said some research trials have also reported statistically significant decreases in the incidence of stroke, decreased blood pressure, and increases in bone mineral density and improved effectiveness of cancer therapy among practitioners.

"Exercise is not just about going on the treadmill or lifting weights," Matthews explained.

As you become more adept, the benefits increase, says Tom Rogers, president of the Qigong Institute, a nonprofit educational organization.

"Like an onion, you peel the layers back and there's more and more to it: Movements are more fluid, posture is better, energy is flowing, breathing is more efficient with movement," he said. "As your awareness deepens, you're distracted by less and less."

Reuters contributed.

Did you know?

Tai Chi is the most well-known moving form of Qigong, according to Tom Rogers, president of the Qigong Institute. Kung Fu is also a form of Qigong.